Affliction
by u-knightedfederationofplanets
Summary: jim kirk beams back to the enterprise with some sort of ancient earth virus. bones tucks him in and cares for him while everything else is seen as far less important. inspired by a text post by tumblr user chekov-chan. mckirk.


Coming back from a foreign planet sometimes brought illness, aches, cramps, or other ailments, Bones knew. And sometimes, it would only affect one person, usually based on genes or only that person being exposed to whatever substance was causing the affliction based on where they were working, what they were working on, or how long they were on-planet. This time, coming back from a small, unnamed planet close to neutral territory, the afflicted was none other than their captain.

After calling Kirk to the sick bay, Bones got him settled down on one of the couches designated for those suffering from nausea or aches or other physical problems. He helped Jim over to the couch - a large, comfortable blue mass of cushion at the edge of the room where the captain would get his privacy - and helped him sit down.

"Alright, Jim. What did you manage to get yourself into this time?"

The look on Jim's face - while it was usually amused at one of Bones' wisecracks - was pained. It sobered Leonard down, in a sense. His face fell because Jim was in pain. Jim was in pain and he as a doctor had to do everything to stop Jim's pain because not only was Jim his best friend in the universe, but he cared for Jim more than that. Yes, he was his doctor and yeah they had been best friends for years, but he felt something stronger than that for Jim and he knew that Jim felt the same way. It's not that they had some sort of deep conversation all alone at night, no, that wasn't Bones and that wasn't Jim. But the feeling was always there and it was always present in the little things that they did like Jim's half-smile whenever Bones said anything demeaning and the simple fact that Bones said things that we demeaning to Jim and never meant it.

The doctor sighed and sat down next to the other man, tucking the blankets more over his sides and shoulders and then took his temperature.

"My god, Jim. You're burning up. I don't know what you caught down there but I need to find out why no one else caught it."

He didn't want to leave Jim there alone so he could go off and find a cure but he didn't want to see any of his patients - let alone Jim - to suffer longer than possible.

"Alright," Bones said, taking Jim's temperature for a second time, then looking in his mouth to see if there was any indication of the disease.

Jim flinched away, squinting his eyes and turning his head into the side of the couch. "Bones, don't do that."

"Why not, what's wrong with you?"

"I feel pukey."

"Real literate, Jim."

Jim turned farther into the couch, making a slight sigh come from Bones' parted lips. Bones looked Jim over once more before rising and going to his databases and entering the captain's symptoms. What came up was surprising, but entirely curable.

"Well Jim," Bones said, going to his stores and pulling out a pill, "You'll be fine in a couple days, but you'll have to stay here until you are."

"Wait, no," Jim's voice was tired and his face was still buried in the couch. "I'm the captain, I have to captain things."

"Not in that state. I'm alerting the bridge for you because you're too damn sick to do it yourself. It wasn't really that Jim was too tired or too sick, it was that he knew Jim would fight him with everything in him to just not let Spock stand as Acting Captain for two days. He pushed the button for the intercom and spoke into it.

"Sick Bay to the Bridge," He said, waiting for some sort of indication that they were listening. Another voice came through right away. "Hikaru Sulu - Bones, is the Captain alright?"

"Yeah, he'll be fine, he's come down will something. Tell Pointy that he is functioning as acting captain."

"Pointy? Is that-" Bones cut the intercom out before Spock could drone on about how the esteemed doctor and captain were oh so mature. He glanced over and Jim was in a laughing fit, entirely red in the face, and still burying his face in the side of the couch. Bones rolled his eyes and walked back over to his giggling patient. "Look, kid," he said, sitting down next to Jim. "You'll be in here a few days, but just take your medicine without giving me any grief and you'll be out of here faster than a jackrabbit hearin' gunshots."

Bones then made an attempt to give Kirk his medication, and the younger man took it, but without making a giant, obnoxious scene and pulling up faces that were none too attractive. Bones rolled his eyes again, and went back over his desk. "Quit being such a fetus."

It had only been a few hours when Bones heard the door open. Ensign Chekov entered, complaining of a broken finger. He wrapped the boy's hand in gauze in a sloppy mess and gave him a few pieces of ice to let rest on it.

"It's only bruised, ensign." The entire time Bones barely took an eye off of the disheveled Captain, and when a meek whimper reached his ear, of "Bones, I'm cold." He had to try his best to continue to care for the weeping ensign. He sent Chekov off as quickly as he could manage and then went over to Kirk with another blanket. He watched as he put the blanket over his shoulders and Jim nuzzled into the blanket.

"Damnit, Jim," Bones signed, and kissed Jim's forehead before going back to work.


End file.
